They don't take bookings for individuals on Friday, Satruday andSundays

On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:40:28 +0000, MSeries wrote:

> Just enquired at Jordans YH for the Friday before the Severn Across, May
> 28th, they said
>
> "I can only offer you accommodation at Jordans on Monday to Thursday
> evenings inclusive. Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings are reserved to
> Rentahostel groups only"
>
> a very poor show IMO.
I hate to say it, but compare and contrast with the headlines about binge
drinking, drunkenness in town centres and late night licensing hours.
Now I'm not so absolutely stupid as to imagine that the yoof of today
would be seen dead cycling round the countryside in war surplus khaki
shorts and string vests.
However I though the youth hostel movement was started to give working
class youth access to the countryside.

Class, discuss.

On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:40:28 +0000, MSeries <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Just enquired at Jordans YH for the Friday before the Severn Across, May
>28th, they said
>
>"I can only offer you accommodation at Jordans
>on Monday to Thursday evenings inclusive. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
>evenings are reserved to Rentahostel groups only"
>
>a very poor show IMO.

Last weekend I had a very enjoyable time staying at the Elmscott YHA
near Hartland, N Devon, as part of a Rentahostel group.

It's a good way for the YHA to make money during off peak periods.

> However I though the youth hostel movement was started to give working
> class youth access to the countryside.
>
> Class, discuss.
>
It might have started with noble intentions but now exists to make a profit
and keep the bean counters happy.

I vaguely recall seeing somewhere that further closures are in the offing

Bertie Wiggins wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:40:28 +0000, MSeries <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >Just enquired at Jordans YH for the Friday before the Severn Across, May
> >28th, they said
> >
> >"I can only offer you accommodation at Jordans
> >on Monday to Thursday evenings inclusive. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
> >evenings are reserved to Rentahostel groups only"
> >
> >a very poor show IMO.
>
> Last weekend I had a very enjoyable time staying at the Elmscott YHA
> near Hartland, N Devon, as part of a Rentahostel group.
>
> It's a good way for the YHA to make money during off peak periods.

I wouldn't have considered 28th May exactly 'off peak' though.

Never mind, I'm sure there are plenty of B&B around ..

...d

vernon levy wrote:
>
> It might have started with noble intentions but now exists to make a profit
> and keep the bean counters happy.
>

Its less about making a profit than not making a loss. I guess they
have two options, not do Rentahostel, take less money from the fewer
people staying, lose money and have to consider closing permanently or
accept Rentahostel and hope to make enough to stay open at the price of
inconveniencing a small number of people. You pays yer money etc.


--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

vernon levy wrote:
> > However I though the youth hostel movement was started to give working
> > class youth access to the countryside.
> >
> > Class, discuss.
> >
> It might have started with noble intentions but now exists to make a profit
> and keep the bean counters happy.

Every organisation has to run with the intention of making a profit. In
the case of the YHA, this should be ploughed back into the fabric.

One of the main problems IMHO is that the generation that grew up
hitch-hiking/cycling/.walking around the hostels now want to drive to
them in their cars and have a more luxurious experience.

I have had varying YHA experiences from the great to the mediocre.

> I vaguely recall seeing somewhere that further closures are in the offing

Wouldn't surprise me, and would be a shame if some key links in the
network were lost.

Personally I'd like to see a proportion of beds kept back for
non-motorised arrivals so that when you turn up at 8pm on a rainy night
you aren't kicked out because some yuppie group in their fancy SUVs
are using it as a cheap hotel.

...d

David Martin wrote:
>
> Every organisation has to run with the intention of making a profit.
>

Not so. Many are run with the intention of not making a loss which is
slightly different.

>
> Personally I'd like to see a proportion of beds kept back for
> non-motorised arrivals so that when you turn up at 8pm on a rainy night
> you aren't kicked out because some yuppie group in their fancy SUVs
> are using it as a cheap hotel.
>

For our family it's usually cheaper in a cheap hotel than a Youth Hostel
but we prefer the YH.


--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

MSeries wrote:
> Just enquired at Jordans YH for the Friday before the Severn Across, May
> 28th, they said
>
> "I can only offer you accommodation at Jordans
> on Monday to Thursday evenings inclusive. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
> evenings are reserved to Rentahostel groups only"
>
> a very poor show IMO.

Sign of the times I'm afraid. FWIW I was unimpressed at being told to
go to bed at 2330 at the Coniston one last year; YHA needs to shed that
prim and proper image, the ones in Holland had bars, very civilised.

re Severn Across; I'll see what I can do

MartinM wrote:
>
> Sign of the times I'm afraid. FWIW I was unimpressed at being told to
> go to bed at 2330 at the Coniston one last year; YHA needs to shed
> that prim and proper image, the ones in Holland had bars, very
> civilised.
>
> re Severn Across; I'll see what I can do

Would bars in YH's be civilised in the country tho'

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/

MartinM wrote:
>
> Sign of the times I'm afraid. FWIW I was unimpressed at being told to
> go to bed at 2330 at the Coniston one last year; YHA needs to shed that
> prim and proper image, the ones in Holland had bars, very civilised.
>

It's not prim and proper, its consideration for the other guests,
especially with shared dormitories. There is nothing worse than someone
blundering around getting into bed when everyone else is trying to
sleep. If you want a hotel with a bar, stay in a hotel with a bar.

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Tony Raven wrote:
> MartinM wrote:
> >
> > Sign of the times I'm afraid. FWIW I was unimpressed at being told to
> > go to bed at 2330 at the Coniston one last year; YHA needs to shed that
> > prim and proper image, the ones in Holland had bars, very civilised.
> >
>
> It's not prim and proper, its consideration for the other guests,
> especially with shared dormitories. There is nothing worse than someone
> blundering around getting into bed when everyone else is trying to
> sleep. If you want a hotel with a bar, stay in a hotel with a bar.

Absolutely. I'd have been b****y furious if some blithering idiot had
come through the dorm at midnight on teh last time I stayed in a YH
(posts passim, on my way to York). Probably wouldn't have woken me
thought givien how knackered I was ;-) I'd have got my own back though
when I got up at 4 and left at 5 am.

YH work really well if everyone has respect for others. If that respect
and consideration goes then they become hell on earth. Given the choice
I'd stay in one a short distance form a pub but with no TV lounge. The
lower the grade, the better.

...d

On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:40:28 +0000, MSeries <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Just enquired at Jordans YH for the Friday before the Severn Across, May
>28th, they said
>
>"I can only offer you accommodation at Jordans
>on Monday to Thursday evenings inclusive. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
>evenings are reserved to Rentahostel groups only"
>

But Severn Across is on 29th APRIL. 28th May is a Bank Holiday
weekend. Is there a chance you tried to book for the latter?


Tim

Tim Hall wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:40:28 +0000, MSeries <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >Just enquired at Jordans YH for the Friday before the Severn Across, May
> >28th, they said
> >
> >"I can only offer you accommodation at Jordans
> >on Monday to Thursday evenings inclusive. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
> >evenings are reserved to Rentahostel groups only"
> >
>
> But Severn Across is on 29th APRIL. 28th May is a Bank Holiday
> weekend. Is there a chance you tried to book for the latter?

29th Apr is also a BH (and I'm going to miss the IOW as it will be on
the 30th)

Tony Raven wrote:
> MartinM wrote:
> >
> > Sign of the times I'm afraid. FWIW I was unimpressed at being told to
> > go to bed at 2330 at the Coniston one last year; YHA needs to shed that
> > prim and proper image, the ones in Holland had bars, very civilised.
> >
>
> It's not prim and proper, its consideration for the other guests,
> especially with shared dormitories. There is nothing worse than someone
> blundering around getting into bed when everyone else is trying to
> sleep. If you want a hotel with a bar, stay in a hotel with a bar.

the point I was making was that in some cases YH's are hardly conducive
to a relaxing place to stay, and not especially cheap either. And the
ones in Holland were not full of loud ****** people, but then their
attitude to drink is a lot more relaxed than ours.

"vernon levy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
>> However I though the youth hostel movement was started to give working
>> class youth access to the countryside.
>>
>> Class, discuss.
>>
> It might have started with noble intentions but now exists to make a
> profit and keep the bean counters happy.
>
> I vaguely recall seeing somewhere that further closures are in the offing
I see nothing wrong in the direction that the YHA has gone, they have become
nothing more than a budget holiday chain. What does amaze me is how they
manage to keep their charitable status.

Bernard

"MSeries" wrote ...
> Just enquired at Jordans YH for the Friday before the Severn Across, May
> 28th, they said
>
> "I can only offer you accommodation at Jordans
> on Monday to Thursday evenings inclusive. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
> evenings are reserved to Rentahostel groups only"
>
> a very poor show IMO.

In 1972 I cycled up to a German hostel in which every bed was taken by a
school group. I was shown a table on which I could unroll my sleeping bag,
and was told by a 10 year old German boy "the first time you roll off the
table in your sleep we'll put you back, after that we'll leave you on the
floor". The next morning the same boy was gracious enough to apologize for
the racket he and his friends had made the night before, even though I had
slept through whatever noise they were able to make.

In 2000 I cycled up to the Ridgeway hostel in a drenching rainstorm and was
told "sorry, the whole hostel is booked by a school group so you can't stay
here, and the next hostel up the road is booked too so don't bother trying".
I tramped the streets of the nearest village and, with the help of a local
teenager, found a B&B whose owner sold me a bed in spite of the fact that he
hadn't really started the season's operations. It turned out to be the most
delightful of any accommodation I found on that 3 week tour.

The German kids who I inconvenienced with my presence saw someone not much
older than themselves who was using hostels to travel the countryside by
himself, and having a pretty good time doing it. They also learned something
about interacting with other travellers, and lending a hand to someone in a
tight spot. The British kids who were spared the inconvenience of my
presence saw... each other, and learned to ignore people outside their own
clique. I could be wrong, but I think YHA are missing the point somewhere.
--
mark

On 27 Nov 2005 14:38:37 -0800, "David Martin"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> It's a good way for the YHA to make money during off peak periods.
>
>I wouldn't have considered 28th May exactly 'off peak' though.

Yep, I see your point.

Elmscott YHA would otherwise have been closed the weekend we stayed,
so we weren't putting anybody out, except perhaps another rentahostel
group.

If a school teacher phones a YHA to make a booking for a group of 30
children for a long weekend over the Spring Bank Holiday, should the
YHA accept the booking?

Tim Hall wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:40:28 +0000, MSeries <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >Just enquired at Jordans YH for the Friday before the Severn Across, May
> >28th, they said
> >
> >"I can only offer you accommodation at Jordans
> >on Monday to Thursday evenings inclusive. Friday, Saturday and Sunday
> >evenings are reserved to Rentahostel groups only"
> >
>
> But Severn Across is on 29th APRIL. 28th May is a Bank Holiday
> weekend. Is there a chance you tried to book for the latter?
>
>
> Tim
In the message to the YH I qouted the correct date, April 29th, just my
original one here I got wrong. my point is about Rentahostel groups,
this far in advance. Note I wasn't told the hostel was fully booked,
that would have been more palletable, they aren't interested in me and
my companion unless we want to hire the whole place. I find ironic that
the organisers of AUK randonees try to be helpful by adding YH to the
listings of their rides only to be let down by the YHA.

Andy Morris wrote:
> MartinM wrote:
> >
> > Sign of the times I'm afraid. FWIW I was unimpressed at being told to
> > go to bed at 2330 at the Coniston one last year; YHA needs to shed
> > that prim and proper image, the ones in Holland had bars, very
> > civilised.
> >
> > re Severn Across; I'll see what I can do
>
> Would bars in YH's be civilised in the country tho'

the country or this country; the one in Acombe (a proper YH with chores
in the morning) was next to a CAMRA pub so no contest.

IIRC the Central London one has a bar.